Director of Accounting Operations

Kelso Industries is a nationwide, private equity backed platform of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC operating companies on a path to becoming a public company. We are seeking a Director of Accounting Operations to own the global month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close for the Kelso enterprise. This leader will design the close, reconciliation, and internal control framework that allows Kelso to produce accurate, auditable consolidated results on a public-company timeline, and will build the team that runs it.

This is a builder role, not a maintenance role. Kelso is not looking for someone to run an established close. The processes, standards, controls, and team this role requires are being built now, while the company continues to grow through acquisition. The right candidate has built a public-company-ready accounting operations function before, is energized by designing something that does not yet exist, and will leave behind infrastructure that scales well beyond the IPO.

WHAT YOU’LL DO (RESPONSIBILITIES)

Own the public-company close process

• Lead the end-to-end global month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close for the Kelso enterprise, including the close calendar, task ownership, dependencies, and daily status reporting to finance leadership.
• Establish a close process that supports public-company reporting timelines, including a defined days-to-close target, a quarterly close calendar aligned to Form 10-Q and Form 10-K filing deadlines, and hard-close discipline at every entity.
• Oversee the consolidation close in NetSuite OneWorld, including intercompany reconciliation and eliminations, period lock discipline, and subsidiary-level close status across the enterprise.
• Establish enterprise review and approval standards for journal entries, accruals, intercompany activity, and balance sheet reconciliations; directly review designated material or high-risk items before consolidation and ensure documentation meets external audit standards.
• Deliver a consolidated trial balance and supporting schedules to the technical accounting and financial reporting team that are complete, reconciled, and ready for SEC reporting.

Build scalable record to report process and accounting operations

• Design and maintain the enterprise close checklist in FloQast across all entities, with standardized tasks, due dates, dependencies, and clearly defined preparer and reviewer responsibilities. Establish the enterprise reconciliation standard, including templates, support requirements, account risk tiering, review evidence, and sign-off expectations, and achieve full reconciliation coverage across every balance sheet account.
• Design, document, and operate the record-to-report control environment in preparation for SOX 404, including key controls over the close, journal entries, account reconciliations, intercompany, and consolidation, as well as the completeness and accuracy of information produced by the entity (IPE).
• Write the accounting operations policies, close procedures, and desk-level documentation required of a public company.
• Define and report close quality metrics by entity, including days to close, reconciliation coverage, on-time sign-off, cutoff accuracy, post-close adjustments, and open item aging.
• Build a repeatable integration playbook that moves newly acquired operating companies onto NetSuite and the global close standard on a defined timeline.
• Lead the accounting integration of each newly acquired operating company, bringing local accounting teams onto the Kelso close standard, including the close calendar, FloQast checklist, reconciliation standard, and close controls, and training them to execute a compliant close from their first month under Kelso ownership.
• Communicate close performance, emerging risks, key judgments, and remediation priorities clearly and concisely to finance leadership and other stakeholders.

Scale through automation and AI

• Partner with the Corporate Controller and the business systems team to automate the close, including automated journal entries, bank reconciliation matching, and NetSuite and FloQast configuration.
• Deploy AI tools and agentic workflows across the close, including automated reconciliation testing, flux analysis, cutoff review, and close status reporting, and lead adoption across the Kelso accounting organization.
• Design automation with controls in mind so that system-generated entries and reports are auditable and can be relied upon for SOX 404.

Make the enterprise audit ready

• Partner with the Corporate Controller to support the external audit, including PBC requests, reconciliation support, and control evidence for accounting operations areas.
• Remediate control deficiencies and audit findings, and drive root-cause fixes to issues identified through accounting quality reviews of the operating companies.
• Lead accounting operations workstreams within IPO readiness, including balance sheet cleanup, historical account reconciliation, and readiness for audits performed under PCAOB standards.

Build and lead the team

• Build, lead, and develop the corporate general ledger accounting team, including hiring, organization design, goal setting, and performance management as the function scales to public-company requirements.
• Act as the enterprise subject matter expert on close process, close tooling, and close controls, and set standards for operating company controllers and accountants who do not report directly to the role.
• Build training and onboarding on the global close standard for accountants across the Kelso enterprise.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING (QUALIFICATIONS)

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• Active CPA license
• 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 5+ years leading a month-end close in a complex, multi-entity environment
• Public company experience at an SEC registrant, a Big 4 or national public accounting firm, or both, including closing to Form 10-Q and Form 10-K timelines
• A track record of building, not inheriting, a close process, reconciliation program, or accounting operations team across multiple entities or business units
• Hands-on experience designing, documenting, or operating SOX 404 controls over the financial close
• Hands-on experience with a close management platform such as FloQast, BlackLine, or similar
• Strong working knowledge of US GAAP and of consolidation, intercompany, and balance sheet reconciliation practices
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and comfort working with large transaction data sets
• Demonstrated use of AI tools in an accounting or finance role, with a focus on applying them to accelerate close and reporting work
• Ability to operate effectively in an evolving environment, balance multiple priorities, and build alignment across corporate and operating-company teams through strong communication, collaboration, and influence.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex accounting, control, and close-related matters into clear, actionable messages for executive leaders, operating-company finance teams, auditors, and cross-functional stakeholders.

Preferred

• IPO readiness experience, including preparing a company for its first filings or first year as a public registrant
• NetSuite OneWorld experience, including multi-subsidiary consolidation
• Experience in a private equity backed or acquisitive company, including integrating acquired entities into a common close
• Experience in construction, specialty contracting, or another project-based industry
• Experience building automated or AI-enabled accounting workflows, including ERP integrations and reusable prompts or agents

WHY JOIN KELSO INDUSTRIES?

Join us and be part of a team dedicated to creating efficient, sustainable, and high-performance environments that make a lasting impact across the industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors.

Here you will experience:

• Growth Opportunities: Develop new skills, take on exciting challenges, and advance your career in meaningful ways.
• Company Culture: You’ll thrive in an environment that supports your growth, values your contributions, and makes work fulfilling and enjoyable.
• Impact: Your work directly contributes to meaningful outcomes, allowing you to see the difference you make and feel a sense of purpose every day.
• Competitive Compensation & Benefits: You’ll be rewarded fairly for your contributions while enjoying perks that enhance your financial security, health, and overall well-being.

Kelso Industries celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate in any aspect of employment based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local employment discrimination laws where Kelso does business.

Salary Range: 175000.0 - 207000.0